Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer - Aerospace Gearing

Estimated hourly base pay: $145,000 (Minimum) – $181,000 (Midpoint) – $218,000 (Maximum)

Benefits

• All members included in annual cash bonus opportunity.
• 401(k) match (4.5%).
• Annual Woodward stock contribution (5%).
• Tuition reimbursement and training/professional development opportunities for all members.
• 12 paid holidays.
• Industry leading medical, dental, and vision insurance upon date of hire.
• Vacation / sick time / vacation buy‑up / short term disability / bereavement leave.
• Paid parental leave.
• Adoption assistance.
• Employee assistance program, including mental health benefits.
• Member life & AD&D / long term disability / member optional life.
• Member referral bonus.
• Spouse / child optional life / optional AD&D / healthcare and dependent care flexible spending.
• Home / auto insurance discounts.
• Whole life insurance / critical illness insurance / legal assistance / military leave.
• Voluntary benefits, including home/auto insurance discounts, whole life insurance, critical illness insurance, legal assistance, and military leave.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end development of aerospace‑qualified gear manufacturing processes, including spur, helical, bevel, and spline gears.
• Define and document process flows, PFMEAs, control plans, and work instructions.
• Define key characteristics (KCs) and critical‑to‑quality (CTQ) features.
• Define process capability requirements (Cp/Cpk) for critical gear geometry.
• Work cooperatively with gearing designs to improve performance & manufacturability of new gearing products.
• Develop and optimize machining processes including hobbing, shaping, skiving, broaching, profile grinding, honing, lapping, and superfinishing.
• Establish robust process control strategies for tooth profile accuracy, pitch variation, lead/helix error, surface finish, residual stress, and distortion control.
• Define machining parameters, tooling strategies, and thermal controls to ensure repeatability in ultra‑tight tolerance aerospace components.
• Lead process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) and AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI).
• Drive continuous improvement: reduce transmission error and gear noise, improve process capability and yield, implement advanced machining techniques and in‑process monitoring.
• Serve as technical authority for gear manufacturing suppliers and special process providers.
• Lead supplier qualification and audit activities to ensure compliance with AS9100, aerospace customer requirements, and internal engineering specifications.
• Oversee and manage NADCAP‑controlled special processes, including heat treatment (carburizing, nitriding, induction hardening), shot peening and residual stress control, surface treatments (coatings, plating, corrosion protection), and non‑destructive testing (MPI, FPI, ultrasonic).
• Ensure detailed and accurate technical requirement flow‑down, including gear macro‑ and microgeometry specifications, surface integrity and metallurgical requirements, and full traceability and certification needs.
• Partner with suppliers on process capability improvement initiatives, root‑cause corrective action (RCCA, 8D), monitor supplier performance via KPIs, and support make‑vs‑buy decisions.
• Define and implement advanced inspection strategies for aerospace precision components, with emphasis on gearing.
• Establish and validate measurement systems (MSA, Gage R&R) for gear profile, lead, pitch, runout, composite error, surface finish, waviness, and microgeometry.
• Utilize analytical inspection equipment (Klingelnberg, Gleason, Zeiss).
• Ensure compliance with AGMA, ISO, DIN, and aerospace standards, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead and support AS9102 FAI, internal, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Drive structured root‑cause investigations addressing transmission error and NVH performance issues, contact pattern deviations, surface distress, wear, and fatigue.
• Implement SPC and continuous monitoring of critical characteristics.
• Ensure full traceability, documentation, and configuration control for flight hardware.
• Provide hands‑on support to resolve complex machining and finishing issues on the shop floor.
• Collaborate with design engineering on manufacturability (DFM), tolerance stack‑up, and performance requirements.
• Mentor engineers and technicians in aerospace manufacturing best practices.
• Interface cross‑functionally with Design, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management.

Supplier Development & Special Process Management

• Serve as technical authority for gear manufacturing suppliers and special process providers.
• Lead supplier qualification and audit activities to ensure compliance with AS9100, aerospace customer requirements, and internal engineering specifications.
• Oversee and manage NADCAP‑controlled special processes, including heat treatment, shot peening, surface treatments, and non‑destructive testing.
• Ensure detailed and accurate technical requirement flow‑down and full traceability and certification needs.
• Partner with suppliers on process capability improvement initiatives, root‑cause corrective action, monitor supplier performance via KPIs, and support make‑vs‑buy decisions.

Quality Engineering & Inspection (Precision Components)

• Define and implement advanced inspection strategies for aerospace precision components, with emphasis on gearing.
• Establish and validate measurement systems (MSA, Gage R&R) for gear profile, lead, pitch, runout, composite error, surface finish, waviness, and microgeometry.
• Utilize analytical inspection equipment (Klingelnberg, Gleason, Zeiss).
• Ensure compliance with AGMA, ISO, DIN, and aerospace standards, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead and support AS9102 FAI, internal, customer, and regulatory audits.

Manufacturing & Technical Leadership

• Provide hands‑on support to resolve complex machining and finishing issues on the shop floor.
• Collaborate with design engineering on manufacturability (DFM), tolerance stack‑up, and performance requirements.
• Mentor engineers and technicians in aerospace manufacturing best practices.
• Interface cross‑functionally with Design, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management.

Key Skills

• Effective written and verbal communication skills including presentations, customer, internal and management communication, writing critical reports, leading complex design reviews, and expert technical writing.
• Competent complex problem‑solving/troubleshooting skills for components and subsystems.
• Promotes a cross‑functional project team environment, communicates with customers, leads small teams, and provides technical problem‑solving guidance.
• Strong expertise in gear cutting and finishing processes, gear metrology and inspection, GD&T and precision tolerancing.
• Experience with AS9100 quality systems, AS9102 FAI requirements, CNC and gear manufacturing equipment, NADCAP special processes and supplier audits, familiarity with aerospace OEM requirements (Boeing, Airbus, etc.), Lean Six Sigma certification, advanced knowledge of gear analysis and inspection systems, and background in tribology and gear system performance.

Other Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 12+ years of applicable experience.
• Certified Technician or equivalent technical certification.
• Experience with precision ball screw manufacturing is preferred and adds value for aerospace actuation systems.
• Familiarity with thread grinding, thread rolling, whirling processes, heat treatment and distortion control of long, slender components, precision assembly, preload setting, end‑of‑line functional testing, lead accuracy, positioning error, backlash control, preload optimization, friction, efficiency, and wear characteristics in high‑load applications.
• Lead measurement, travel variation analysis, preload verification, torque‑to‑rotate testing, and precision measurement techniques similar to gearing.

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be U.S. Persons within the meaning of the ITAR and EAR, or eligible to obtain all required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce. The ITAR defines a U.S. Person as a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident ("Green Card holder"), or a protected person (e.g., asylee, or refugee).

Woodward is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local laws.